High flux of appropriate photons for controlling radioactivity
- Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States)
A feasibility experiment was performed in which radioactive {sup 125}I was exposed to a high flux of appropriate X-ray energy photons. Radioactivity in the six samples tested was decreased by 2 to 14% above the expected decay based on the known half-life of {sup 125}I. These successful basic preliminary experiments promise a new approach in controlling nuclear waste through the use of appropriate energy photons. The enormous success of lasers in a wide variety of this era`s activities has led the author to explore whether or not the basic physics concepts of laser operation may be applied to the control of nuclear waste. The tentative thesis being tested is: 1. Can a radioactive nucleus be considered to be a system in an excited energy state? 2. Can an appropriate energy photon cause the radioactive atom to drop spontaneously to a nonradioactive ground state? 3. Could perhaps two photons be available at the end of this interaction for the ongoing reduction of the radioactive sample? To test this hypothesis the author exposed medical seed samples of {sup 125}I to the synchrotron flux from the Brookhaven synchrotron.
- OSTI ID:
- 426298
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-961103-; ISSN 0003-018X; TRN: 96:006307-0018
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Vol. 75; Conference: Winter meeting of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) and the European Nuclear Society (ENS), Washington, DC (United States), 10-14 Nov 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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